A cup type scaffolding connector was first introduced by Scaffolding Great Britain Ltd. (SGB) in about 1975. This cup type connector was widely accepted and in recent years a number of similar cup connectors have been introduced. The cup type connector includes a bottom cup that initially was designed to receive up to four members at various positions about a scaffold tube. Each of the connecting members included an end configuration designed to be received, in the bottom cup and to abut with like connecting members if all four members are present. A similar top cup is movable downwardly to engage an upper end of the connectors and further secure the connectors to the leg. The top cup typically has a screw type arrangement for forcing top cup downwardly trapping and pressing down on the ends of the connectors.
After a number of years, a modified system was introduced that allowed eight members to be inserted in a single cup connector. This system provided additional advantages with respect to connecting bracing members as well as to connecting members at different angles when the scaffold legs were positioned in a non rectilinear manner.
A major problem with cup type systems is that the connectors at the ends of the horizontal members are too wide to allow for 5 or more members to be attached in a single cup connector. Also, if the connectors are made narrower the installation of the scaffold system in a rectilinear pattern of scaffold legs is more difficult. These cup connectors have no provision for fixing the position of the respective horizontal members on the bottom when they are located in the bottom cup. This problem is further compounded when additional connections are possible such as in an eight way cup type system, as there is a great deal of movement if only four connecting members are retained.
The problem with respect to movement of the connecting members on the bottom cup is particularly problematic in higher access scaffolding systems and generally elongate configurations of the assembled scaffold. Movement of the connecting members on the bottom cup increases the possibility of racking of the assembled scaffold, and additional tie points are required to provide the necessary structural stability. These additional tie points increase the cost to both erect the scaffolding system and to dismantle the scaffolding system and can lead to installation errors.
Movement of the connecting members that are received in the cap lock is more problematic when there is considerable space between the individual connectors. For example, the cup lock is designed to receive up to eight connecting members however in most cases eight connecting members are not required. This leaves considerable space between adjacent connecting heads of the connecting members and the potential of undesirable movement.
One desirable feature of the cup lock system is the ability of a component to be placed in the cup lock essentially at any angular position. This makes the system easy to assemble adjacent to non rectilinear structures.
The present invention provides a modified cup lock system that provides additional rigidity of connected components while also providing the convenience of free angular placement of the connecting components in the cup lock.